xymnovel Chapter 53 Preparations
Chapter 53 Preparations
In the spring of the second year of the Tianqi reign (1622), on the day of Jingzhe (Awakening of
When the first clap of thunder in spring rang out over Jinan Prefecture, the atmosphere inside Lu Ji's camp was already extremely tense.
Although it still displays signs for "Imperial Timber Procurement Bureau of the Imperial Household Department" and "Jinan Prefecture Canal Transport Militia" and its caravans come and go every day, anyone who pays close attention will notice something unusual.
The open-air storage yard, once used to store timber, is now completely empty. Around the massive warehouses, layers upon layers of barbed wire and chevaux-de-frise have been erected. The patrol density on the walls has tripled; even the approach of a wildcat will attract the aim of two powerful crossbows.
Three underground levels house the core armory.
This is Lu Ji's biggest secret. Huge ventilation shafts draw air from the ground, and hundreds of whale oil lamps illuminate the place as bright as day.
Zhao Tiezheng was leading a group of core craftsmen, gathered around a huge workbench, arguing heatedly over a pile of parts.
"Master! This won't do! Absolutely not!"
Zhao Tie brandished a heavy, dark gun barrel, spitting as he spoke. "You want to meet the deadline and maintain quality at the same time? You're killing me! This barrel is made of 'Su Steel' (wrought iron with carburized steel), costing four taels of silver—that's 'first-class' for our own use. But you just said you want to make a batch of 'export versions' and reduce the cost to below two taels? That means we can only use that brittle iron! It'll explode!"
Lu Yan stood across the worktable, holding a caliper in his hand, his expression as calm as if he were discussing what to have for dinner.
"Master Zhao, calm down. This is 'differentiated competition'."
Lu Yan took the barrel and skillfully inspected the rifling (of course, it was still smoothbore, but the inner wall was polished even smoother). "The ones we use ourselves must be the best. Every barrel has to undergo three water pressure tests to ensure it will never explode. That's called 'core competitiveness'."
"As for the export version..." Lu Yan pointed to the pile of somewhat grayish iron next to him, "those are sold to certain 'special clients.' For example, landlords who want to buy guns to protect their homes, or... certain forces that might become our enemies."
"This kind of gun has its barrel wall thinned by two-tenths of an inch, so the chamber doesn't need reinforcement. As long as it fires and can kill a dog within fifty paces, that's enough. As for its lifespan... it's set at one hundred rounds. After one hundred rounds, that's a problem of improper customer maintenance, what does that have to do with our Lu's Company?"
This is Lu Yan's "monkey version" theory.
In this chaotic era, the arms trade is extremely profitable. But he would never sell his best weapons to a potential adversary.
"Moreover, production capacity should be prioritized." Lu Yan drew a red line on the blueprint. "The production of first-class products must be guaranteed to ensure that each of our thousand guards has one, with a reserve rate of 20%. All other production capacity should be used to manufacture these inferior versions and... the Thunderclap Bomb."
"Thunderclap?" Zhao Tie was taken aback.
"Yes. It's one of those hand grenades with a cast iron shell, filled with black powder and nails." Lu Yan gestured. "It doesn't need to be too sophisticated, as long as the fuse is reliable and it goes off when thrown. This thing is low-tech and suitable for mass production. I want you to mobilize all your apprentices and make me ten thousand of them within a month."
"Ten thousand?!" Zhao Tie gasped. "Master, are you planning to bomb Jinan to the ground?"
"No, I want to use these ten thousand loud bangs to tell all the hungry wolves that want to bite us—the bones here are broken."
After leaving the armory, Lu Yan arrived at the training ground on the ground.
A special exercise is underway here.
A thousand fully armed guards, dressed in uniform gray cotton armor (lined with iron plates) and wearing dark red helmets, advanced like a moving iron wall.
"Halt!"
At Zhao Changying's command, the thousand-man formation froze instantly, with only the clanging sound of armor plates colliding.
"Change formation! Hollow square formation!"
As the drumbeats changed, the originally dense square formation quickly expanded outwards, leaving an open space in the middle (for placing commanders, wounded soldiers, and supplies), with musketeers and spearmen pointing their guns outwards on all four sides.
This is a hedgehog.
At the ridge, four newly produced "Lu's 3-jin field guns" were unveiled, their dark muzzles menacingly pointing in all directions.
"This is called a 'hollow square array'."
Standing on the reviewing stand, Lu Yan explained to Liu Cheng, the eunuch beside him. This supervisor of the Imperial Horse Administration had come specifically to "inspect" the area. After all, Lu was in charge of the Imperial Horse Administration, and such a large-scale expansion of the army needed to be seen by those above.
"It is effective against cavalry and also against the human wave tactics of refugees."
Lu Yan pointed to the formation, "As long as these four walls don't fall, even if we're surrounded by ten times the number of enemies, we can still maintain our firepower. The muskets will fire in three volleys to ensure continuous fire, the cannons will fire shot to clear blind spots, and the spearmen will prevent the enemy from getting close."
"This is hardly a local militia..." Liu Cheng looked at the disciplined military bearing and the suffocating killing intent, and couldn't help but wipe the cold sweat from his forehead. "Brother Lu, to be blunt, even the Divine Machine Battalion of the Beijing Garrison doesn't have this kind of presence. Your thousand men could probably chase those so-called government troops."
"You flatter me, sir," Lu Yan smiled slightly, handing Liu Cheng a cup of hot tea. "This is all for protecting the imperial timber, for serving His Highness the Ninth Prince. With strong troops and horses, this mission can be carried out reliably, can't it?"
Liu Cheng took the tea and gave Lu Yan a complicated look.
He knew that this army was already a ferocious beast. And the person holding the chains was none other than the seemingly gentle and refined scholar before him.
"Brother Lu, besides checking on the troops, I have another matter to discuss with you this time," Liu Cheng said in a low voice. "The Ninth Prince is short of money again lately. I heard you're doing quite well in Shandong; could you perhaps increase your monthly stipend of 50,000 taels by another 20%?"
"add."
Lu Yan did not hesitate at all, and did not even frown.
"Not only will I add 20%, but I'll also give my father-in-law an extra 10% privately. However, I need my father-in-law to help me get a 'note'."
"What cops?"
"The Dengzhou-Laizhou Governor's Order to Deploy Troops for Joint Defense"
Lu Yan turned his gaze to the northeast. "If anything happens in Shandong, my Lu family's militia will have the power to enforce the law across regions and assist the government troops in suppressing bandits."
Liu Cheng's hand trembled, and the tea spilled out.
"You want military power? The real kind?"
"It's for self-preservation," Lu Yan said calmly. "Father-in-law, you wouldn't want to see this goose that lays golden eggs stewed by those refugees, would you?"
Interests once again became the best adhesive.
After seeing Liu Cheng off, Lu Yan climbed the highest watchtower in the camp alone.
A spring breeze caressed my face, yet carried a lingering chill. The distant canal had thawed, and broken ice floes bobbed in the murky water, much like this crumbling empire.
"Master."
Hu Jingshui appeared silently behind him, holding a newly delivered urgent report in her hand, her face as solemn as an iron plate.
"There's been movement in Yuncheng."
It only has five short characters.
Lu Yan took the intelligence report and glanced at it.
"Xu Hongru secretly gathered his main force of the 'Eight Trigrams Flag' in the Liangshan Marsh area. Moreover, they were buying up large quantities of white cloth."
"White cloth?"
"Yes. It's for wrapping the head." Hu Jingshui's voice trembled slightly. "Master, they're about to start an uprising. It'll probably happen in the next few days."
"Two months earlier than historically."
Lu Yan muttered to himself. The butterfly effect of history had finally begun. Perhaps it was because Lu Ji's "brittle iron" and "moldy grain" accelerated their preparations, or perhaps the "Mr. Bai" whom he had rejected felt threatened and launched his attack ahead of schedule.
But whatever is coming, will come.
"Pass on the order."
Lu Yan turned around, and at that moment, his scholarly air vanished, replaced by the majesty of a commander.
"First, the Lu Family Camp is immediately placed into a 'wartime state.' Entry is permitted, but exit is not. All family members visiting relatives must be moved to the underground shelter."
"Second, notify all branches within Jinan city to close down and all personnel to return to the main camp. Any supplies that cannot be taken away should be burned; nothing should be left for the rebel army."
"Third, send a letter to Zhou Daodeng and the prefect. Tell them... I observed the celestial phenomena last night and fear there may be 'military disaster' soon, and ask them to strengthen the city's defenses. Whether they believe it or not is up to them."
"Yes!" Hu Jingshui accepted the order and left in a hurry.
Lu Yan leaned on the railing, watching the sunset slowly sink below the horizon, turning the entire camp into a blood-red hue.
"Long Tassel".
"exist."
"Lower that yellow flag by half."
Why?
"Because from tomorrow onwards, this flag will no longer protect us. The only things that can protect us are the guns and cannons in our hands."
Lu Yan took a deep breath, sensing the impending explosion of gunpowder in the air.
"A storm is coming. Let's see if this carefully constructed dike can hold back the raging flood."
In the spring of the second year of the Tianqi reign, in that season of renewal, the shadow of death loomed over the land of Qilu. And within this shadow, only Lu Ji's camp, like an isolated island, stood out, its blade gleaming in the darkness.